On July 31, informing Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of the Department of Education and Training of Lang Son province said that the plan to arrange the network of public educational institutions in the area has been summarized from the proposals of communes and wards and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and approval.
According to the preliminary plan, the whole province currently has 637 public schools. After arrangement, the number of educational institutions is expected to be 349 schools, a decrease of 288 focal points, equivalent to about 45.2%.
The arrangement will be implemented synchronously in all 65 communes and wards of the province, instead of just selecting some separate areas.
Previously, the arrangement also took place in 4 border communes including Mau Son, Quoc Khanh, Kien Moc and Khuat Xa to put into operation 4 inter-level ethnic minority boarding schools in the border area.
Immediately after being approved by the Provincial People's Committee, localities plan to implement plans so that schools can operate according to the new model from the 2026-2027 school year.
Lang Son is one of the 15 localities selected by the Ministry of Education and Training to pilot the arrangement of the network of public preschool, general and continuing education institutions.
The remaining localities include Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hue, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Dong Nai.
According to the preliminary plan of Lang Son, the process of reducing 288 school branches may cause more than 400 redundant education management officials.
Representatives of the provincial education sector said that the immediate plan is to rearrange the staff according to their capacity, professional qualifications and needs of each area.
Some principals may be arranged as vice principals; vice principals may be transferred to work as teachers or take on other suitable positions.
In case communes and wards have needs and officials meet professional requirements, some people may be considered for transfer to work at commune-level administrative agencies.
Officials who are eligible and voluntarily retire before age will also be resolved according to regulations.
The plan to transfer redundant management officials back to teaching is expected to contribute to overcoming the teacher shortage situation in some areas.
However, the specific arrangement method still depends on new regulations on organizational structure, payroll and policies for officials after arrangement," a representative of Lang Son Department of Education and Training informed Lao Dong Newspaper.
According to the roadmap of the Ministry of Education and Training, from July 1, 2026, localities will begin piloting the merger of management focal points for educational institutions in the same area, forming large-scale schools with branches, school sites and establishing new governance models.
Before August 30, 2026, localities must complete the pilot phase, establish a network of schools and classes suitable to the population size; consolidate the organizational structure and management plan to operate right from the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
Before December 30, 2026, the pilot results will be comprehensively evaluated, from the impact on students, teachers, management staff to the use of finance, public assets and facilities.
From March 30, 2027, based on the initial results, localities will continue to merge and consolidate educational institutions according to their authority. The entire arrangement and streamlining of administrative management focal points must be completed before April 30, 2027.
The Ministry of Education and Training requires this process to ensure that the education system operates synchronously and smoothly, without interrupting or affecting teaching and learning activities at schools, branches and school sites.
